Introduction
A cancer diagnosis can be very traumatic and disrupt an individual’s life in a number of ways. There are many challenges that tend to arise for most individuals with cancer, such as altered interpersonal relationships, a struggle for independence, disruption in achievements, body image issues, and existential issues. However, because cancer can affect anyone, the ways individuals with cancer experience their journeys vary based on their developmental stage, intrapersonal style, and interpersonal style (Holland & Rowland, 1999).
Relationships are always altered in some way after a cancer diagnosis (Fujinami, Otis-Green, Klein, Sidhu, & Ferrell, 2012; Holland & Rowland, 1999). Fear of abandantment is common amon individuals …show more content…
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is a cancer research and treatment center. The staff at RPCI work towards a patient-centered care model through multidisciplinary care and interdisciplinary collaboration (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, n.d). In addition to cancer treatment, patients at RPCI are given access to many support services. These services include access to a resource center, financial counselors, a music and arts program, nutrition services, spiritual support, patient advocates, patient navigators, pet therapy, support groups, smoking cessation, psychologists, and social workers (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, n.d).
Social workers at RPCI assist patients, their family members, and staff in many ways. When the social work department is unable to assist the patient with a particular challenge, they connect them with the appropriate department within RPCI or an outside agency. The social work department is knowledgeable of, and has access to, many local resources for assisting with issues that are common among individuals receiving treatment for …show more content…
For example, a patient with a personality disorder may have unrealistic expectations of the hospital staff or difficulty trusting that staff members will provide the best possible care (Meyer & Block, 2011). When a social worker is aware that a patient has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, the social worker meets with the staff who work with that patient and uses Meyer and Block’s (2011) article, Personality Disorders in the Oncology Setting as a guideline to explain the common behaviors and characteristics of individuals with a particular personality disorder, possible countertransference responses that may be evoked in a staff member, and appropriate ways to react in situations that are likely to arise. Staff members have responded well to this training because it is not time consuming and teaches them how to have the most productive interactions with patients.
Nurses have been provided training on boundaries, as needed. These trainings educate the nurses on how to behave appropriately with patients in order to maintain a professional relationship. For example, training on boundaries has been necessary when a nurse or a group of nurses have appeared to favor certain patients. These trainings are conducted so the nurses learn to set the same boundaries with all patients to show patients that they can trust they are all receiving the best possible
A cancer diagnosis can be very traumatic and disrupt an individual’s life in a number of ways. There are many challenges that tend to arise for most individuals with cancer, such as altered interpersonal relationships, a struggle for independence, disruption in achievements, body image issues, and existential issues. However, because cancer can affect anyone, the ways individuals with cancer experience their journeys vary based on their developmental stage, intrapersonal style, and interpersonal style (Holland & Rowland, 1999).
Relationships are always altered in some way after a cancer diagnosis (Fujinami, Otis-Green, Klein, Sidhu, & Ferrell, 2012; Holland & Rowland, 1999). Fear of abandantment is common amon individuals …show more content…
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is a cancer research and treatment center. The staff at RPCI work towards a patient-centered care model through multidisciplinary care and interdisciplinary collaboration (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, n.d). In addition to cancer treatment, patients at RPCI are given access to many support services. These services include access to a resource center, financial counselors, a music and arts program, nutrition services, spiritual support, patient advocates, patient navigators, pet therapy, support groups, smoking cessation, psychologists, and social workers (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, n.d).
Social workers at RPCI assist patients, their family members, and staff in many ways. When the social work department is unable to assist the patient with a particular challenge, they connect them with the appropriate department within RPCI or an outside agency. The social work department is knowledgeable of, and has access to, many local resources for assisting with issues that are common among individuals receiving treatment for …show more content…
For example, a patient with a personality disorder may have unrealistic expectations of the hospital staff or difficulty trusting that staff members will provide the best possible care (Meyer & Block, 2011). When a social worker is aware that a patient has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, the social worker meets with the staff who work with that patient and uses Meyer and Block’s (2011) article, Personality Disorders in the Oncology Setting as a guideline to explain the common behaviors and characteristics of individuals with a particular personality disorder, possible countertransference responses that may be evoked in a staff member, and appropriate ways to react in situations that are likely to arise. Staff members have responded well to this training because it is not time consuming and teaches them how to have the most productive interactions with patients.
Nurses have been provided training on boundaries, as needed. These trainings educate the nurses on how to behave appropriately with patients in order to maintain a professional relationship. For example, training on boundaries has been necessary when a nurse or a group of nurses have appeared to favor certain patients. These trainings are conducted so the nurses learn to set the same boundaries with all patients to show patients that they can trust they are all receiving the best possible